UN, October 3 (RIA Novosti) — A team of international experts on a mission to eliminate Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons is likely to start on-site inspections and the disabling of arms “within the next week,” a UN spokesman said Thursday.
“The team hopes to begin on-site inspections and the initial disabling of equipment within the next week, but this depends on the outcome of the technical groups established with the participation of Syrian experts,” spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which has 189 member states, said earlier in a statement that the Syria team comprised 19 chemical weapons experts and 14 UN officials.
The team arrived safely in Syria from Beirut earlier this week while accompanied by Syrian government forces.
The UN Security Council voted unanimously last Friday to pass a resolution requiring Syria to eliminate its chemical weapon stockpiles.
